Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

But, triumph not, ye peace-enamour'd few!

Fire, Nature, Genius, never dwelt with you!
For you no fancy confecrates the scene

Where rapture utter'd vows, and wept between ;

'Tis yours, unmov'd, to fever and to meet ; No pledge is facred, and no home is fweet!

10

15

Who that would ask a heart to dulnefs wed, The waveless calm, the flumber of the dead? No; the wild blifs of Nature needs alloy,

And fear and forrow fan the fire of joy!

20

And say, without our hopes, without our fears,

Without the home that plighted love endears,

Without the fmile from partial beauty won,

O! what were man?-a world without a fun!

Till Hymen brought his love-delighted hour,
There dwelt no joy in Eden's rofy bow'r!

In vain the viewlefs feraph ling'ring there,
At ftarry midnight, charm'd the filent air ;
In vain the wild-bird carol'd on the steep,

25

To hail the fun, flow-wheeling from the deep;

30

In vain, to foothe the folitary fhade,
Aerial notes in mingling meafure play'd;

The summer wind that shook the spangled tree,
The whispering wave, the murmur of the bee ;-
Still flowly pafs'd the melancholy day,

And ftill the ftranger wift not where to ftray,

35

The world was fad !—the garden was a wild!

And Man, the hermit, figh'd-till Woman fmil'd!

True, the fad power to generous hearts may bring

Delirious anguish on his fiery wing!

40

Barr'd from delight by Fate's untimely hand,

By wealthless lot, or pitilefs command ;

Or doom'd to gaze on beauties that adorn

The smile of triumph, or the frown of scorn;

While Memory watches o'er the fad review

Of joys that faded like the morning dew;
Peace may depart—and life and nature feem
A barren path—a wildness, and a dream!

45

But, can the noble mind for ever brood,

The willing victim of a weary mood,

50

On heartless cares that fquander life away,

And cloud young Genius bright'ning into day !

Shame to the coward thought that e'er betray'd

The noon of manhood to a myrtle shade !— 1

If Hope's creative spirit cannot raise

One trophy facred to thy future days,

Scorn the dull crowd that haunt the gloomy fhrine

Of hopeless love to murmur and repine !

But, fhould a figh of milder mood exprefs

Thy heart-warm wishes, true to happiness,

55

60.

[blocks in formation]

(For love pursues an ever devious race,

True to the winding lineaments of grace);

Yet ftill may Hope her talisman employ

To fnatch from Heaven anticipated joy,
And all her kindred energies impart

70

That burn the brighteft in the pureft heart!

When first the Rhodian's mimic art array'd The queen of Beauty in her Cyprian fhade,

The happy mafter mingled on his piece

Each look that charm'd him in the fair of Greece;

To faultlefs Nature true, he ftole a grace

From every finer form and fweeter face;

75

And, as he fojourn'd on the Ægean ifles,

Woo'd all their love, and treasur'd all their smiles; 80

« ZurückWeiter »